1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a new control device and to a new refrigerator system utilizing the new control device as well as to new methods of making such a control device and such a refrigerator system.
2. Prior Art Statement
It is known to provide a control device comprising a housing means having a valve seat means and having an inlet means and an outlet means interconnected together by the valve seat means, a movable valve member carried by the housing means and being adapted to open and close the valve seat means by being respectively moved to an open position thereof and a closed position thereof, and a shape memory means carried by the housing means and being operatively interconnected to the valve member to move the valve member to one of the positions thereof by the shape memory means sensing a temperature above a first temperature and to move the valve member to the other of the positions thereof by the shape memory means sensing a temperature below a second temperature. For example, see the Diermayer et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,284,235. Also such a control device has been utilized in a bathroom shower line or faucet line to close the line should the water temperature flowing through the line exceed a certain temperature, such devices being respectively sold by Memory Metals, Inc., of Stanford, Conn. as a "Shower Gard" and a " Flow Gard".
It is also known to adjust the first temperature of such a device by placing a spring load on the coiled compression shape memory spring when the same is in its closed coil bound condition so that the same will not expand until the shape memory spring is heated a certain amount above that first temperature and that certain amount is selectively adjusted by selecting the spring force that is acting on the memory spring in its closed coil bound condition.
However, applicants are not aware of a use of such a coiled compression shape memory spring means in a refrigerator control device.
It is also known to provide a control device for a refrigerator system having a frozen food compartment and a nonfrozen food compartment interconnected together by an air circulating means that is adapted to direct an air flow from the frozen food compartment to the nonfrozen food compartment when a valve member of the control device is in an open condition thereof, the control device comprising a housing means having a valve seat means and having an inlet means for interconnecting to the frozen food compartment and an outlet means for interconnecting to the nonfrozen food compartment, the valve seat means interconnecting the inlet means and the outlet means together, a movable valve member carried by the housing means and being adapted to open and close the valve seat means by being respectively moved to an open position thereof and a closed position thereof, and actuator means carried by the housing means and being operatively interconnected to the valve member to move the valve member between the positions thereof. For example, see the Sepso et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,819,442, wherein the actuator means comprises a bellows means which has the fluid therein expanded by a temperature sensing bulb sensing the temperature in an area within a refrigerator and see the Sepso U.S. Pat. No. 4,530,216, wherein the fluid within the bellows is expanded by energizing an electrically operated heater means that heats the fluid in the bellows when the electrically operated heater means is so energized.